Top 3 Tips To Keep Your Employees Happy All Year Round

The festive season is over, the Christmas tree is long gone and the shopping centres have just about returned to normal; as we all traipse back into work, it’s no surprise that the office isn’t exactly filled with a sea of smiling faces. We’re in the depths of winter and without Christmas to look forward to your previously excitable employees are now morose and sluggish.
You can’t blame them for being a little down in the first few months of the year but it certainly isn’t good news for your business! Happy workers are motivated and motivated employees are productive; if you’re not careful an unhappy workforce will see your business grind to an unpleasant halt as productivity plummets.

So how can you keep your employees happy, motivated and productive all year round? These lovely little tips will certainly help:

Communication

Every blog post, article and magazine column that looks at employee morale will highlight the importance of good communication and with good reason!

– Good communication between employees and management is vital to understand what motivates individual teams or employees. Understanding what motivates your workforce is essential to pave the way to a happy office.

– Respond to any concerns quickly; if an employee communicates a concern and doesn’t see any action taken, they will quickly become despondent.

– Taking the time to have positive conversations with your employees will make them feel valued and more likely to volunteer any issues affecting their work.

Being upfront and open with employees alongside valid two-way communication will help to build trust; by responding to any concerns or suggestions raised quickly and efficiently, your employees are likely to be considerably more motivated and productive.

Keep Things Fun & Fresh

Yes we’re all at work for one reason, to make money and to make the business money; but that doesn’t mean that work can’t be fun. An employee that enjoys going into work every day will be much more productive than an individual that hates their employment with a passion; it’s a no-brainer! So do everything you can to make your workplace fun, enjoyable and fresh.

Hold bi-annual competitions to reward the best sales person or the best new starter and give out trophies or medals or you could even have a summer sports day! Get as creative as you can and get everyone involved; you’ll soon find that everyone looks forward to the next event and presents their much deserved medals on their desks. It may only be a bit of fun, but you’d be amazed at the good it can do.

Recognition and Reward

We’ve all been in same situation in which we’ve worked incredibly hard and put our all into a project only to find that nobody has noticed; of course, after this happens a number of times, we tend to give up. What’s the point of going above and beyond and working hard day in, day out if nobody notices?

It’s vital that you take the time to recognise good work from your employees and reward them accordingly. Many employers make the mistake of thinking that employees expect all rewards to be monetary and therefore, are reluctant to give out praise. In the majority of cases however, employees will be encouraged and be happy with public recognition of their work.

Something as simple as having a section of a weekly meeting set aside for recognitions will make it clear to your workforce that you have noticed their hard work and they will be much more likely to continue to work hard as a result.

Don’t expect your employees to come into work every day with a beaming smile on their faces and be motivated and enthusiastic about their work; it simply doesn’t work like that. You have to put in the effort to keep morale high. With effective communication, regular recognition when deserved and a fresh and fun environment to work in, you’ll see a marked improvement in motivation and productivity.

This article was written by Jennifer Griffiths on behalf of The Big Trophy Shop. Trophies and medals are a great way to reward your employees and create a sense of competition that can improve morale; The Big Trophy Shop is the perfect place to go.